Information exchange is generally the economic cornerstone of the diverse societies that span the globe. This has spurned sustained advances in communication technologies, such as wireless communication devices, infrastructure devices related to wireless communications, and protocols used to implement wireless communications.
The advance in communication technologies has resulted in the creation of many different communication standards. Wireless communication systems may operate in accordance with a number of these different communication standards. Some of the more popular communication standards include, advanced mobile phone services (AMPS), digital AMPS, global systems for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), and local multi-point distribution system (LMDS).
Many communication technologies and standards operate at different frequencies and bandwidths. For example, GSM may operate in the frequency range of 925 to 960 MHz (receive) and 880 to 915 MHz (transmit). GSM may also operate in the frequency range of 1805 to 1990 MHz (receive) and 1710 to 1910 MHz (transmit). In contrast, CDMA may operate in the frequency range of 824 to 849 MHz (receive) and 869 to 894 MHz (transmit).
Communication technologies that are compatible with several communication standards often use complicated circuitry or technology that increases manufacturing expenditures. In one example, a base station or access point that transmits over diverse frequency ranges may require the implementation of multiple specialized antennas that operate efficiently within those ranges. The costs to design, manufacture and stock such specialized antennas can be significant. To avoid such costs, a wireless device, such as a wireless phone or base station, may be implemented with an antenna that can be tuned to frequencies within a wide frequency band. However, such an antenna often has compromised performance characteristics.
Base stations, access points and other wireless devices may need to operate over a wide frequency range. To enable this requirement, wireless devices may require the use of multiple carriers that each have a desired center frequency. Generally, each one of these multiple carriers requires a uniquely designed strip-line quarter wavelength structure. This requirement dramatically increases the costs associated with developing and producing wireless devices that operate over a wide frequency range.